Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth ssp. nevadensis (A. Gray) J.B. Roof

Scientific Name: Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth ssp. nevadensis (A. Gray) J.B. Roof

Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth ssp. nevadensis (A. Gray) J.B. Roof

General Information
Usda Symbol	ARPUN2
Group	Dicot
Life Cycle	Perennial
Growth Habits	ShrubSubshrub,
Native Locations	ARPUN2

Plant Guide

Uses

Conservation: Pinemat reduces erosion on steep slopes and along trails and roads. Wildlife: Bear, deer, and other small mammals and a wide array of birds, including grouse, utilize the fruits of hairy manzanita. California mule deer may browse the foliage.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Heath Family (Ericaceae). Pinemat manzanita, is a low growing, native, evergreen shrub, generally less than 1 m tall, and with spreading or decumbent branches. It does not have a basal burl and does not crown sprout, but often roots at the nodes of the lowermost branches. The bark of young twigs is sparsely white-woolly, but the mature bark is smooth and reddish brown. Leaves are short-petioled, with ovate to elliptic blades that are 1.5 to 3 cm long, 1 to 1.5 cm wide, bright green, with acute apices, and minutely hairy or glabrous on both sides. The flowers, which open from May to July, are arranged in racemes with mostly scale-like, linear bracts that are 2-5 mm long. The urn-shaped, white corollas are 6-8 mm long. The fruits are depressed-globose, 6-9 mm in diameter, smooth and reddish brown, with a mealy pulp that encloses several, hard-walled seeds. Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences @ CalPhotos

Distribution

Native to Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Also, check the CalFlora Web site.

Establishment

Adaptation: Pinemat manzanita occurs on rocky slopes and outcrops from 5000 to 10,000 feet throughout the Cascades south to the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada of California. It is a common understory shrub of several coniferous forest communities, dominated either by fir, hemlock, yellow pine, or lodgepole pine. Common associates include currant, chinquapin, huckleberry oak, and ocean spray. Its geographic range is generally characterized by warm, relatively dry summers and cold winters with precipitation ranging from 25 to 85 inches per year, much of it as snow. Pinemat manzanita prefers well drained, acidic soils in open sunny sites. It has a high tolerance for cold, below-freezing winters, and depends on snow cover to protect dormant buds. Occasional fires may be important to successful seed germination and establishment. Natural Establishment: Arctostaphylos nevadensis, like most manzanita species, requires insect visitation to ensure seed-set. Bees that grasp the flower and shake them by actively beating their wings pollinate the flowers. This process, like shaking a salt and pepper container, permits efficient collection of the pollen, which is used for food. Fruits are dispersed primarily by animals, which presumably aid germination by digesting the fruit and softening the outer seed coat. However, natural germination is sporadic, except after fire, which cracks the hard coat of seeds that have accumulated in the litter layer. Pinemat manzanita prefers loose, well-drained soils and, like other members of the heath family (Ericaceae), has an obligate relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. Seed Propagation: Propagation from seed is difficult, because of the thick, bony seed walls and low rates of germination (less than 10%) without treatment. However, if propagation from seed is desired, treatment must ensure that the seed coat is broken without damaging the embryo. Individual seeds may be filed with a steel file, but larger quantities can be treated by placing them into a container of boiling water that is removed from the source of heat after 1-2 minutes. Seeds also respond well to burning, which is accomplished by firing a 4-inch deep layer of combustible leaves and twigs over a flat planted with seeds. These treatments crack the seed coats, but may reduce viability. Treated seeds should be stratified in a moist mix of milled sphagnum and beach sand for 2-8 months until they germinate. Other techniques, including use of sulfuric acid to soften the seed coat, may enhance germination, but also requires special precautions against spillage and contamination. Vegetative Propagation: Vegetative propagation is preferred over seed propagation. Pinemat manzanita is most easily propagated by cutting terminal shoots that include 1-2 inches of the woody stem from the previous year. Cuttings work best if taken between April and June and should be dipped in a rooting hormone before being placed in a moist sand-peat mixture. Cuttings need to be kept moist by regular watering or misting until roots appear. Once rooted, they should be transplanted into small containers using potting soil, to allow for proper root development. Manzanitas generally do not transplant well, so they should be grown to vigorous conditions in one-gallon containers and then moved to a permanent position in the late fall or early winter. Relatively slow growth rates during the first few years can be expected. If plants are used in an urban landscape, the use of organic-rich soils and acidified fertilizers is recommended.

Management

Under natural conditions, no special management is required to maintain established manzanitas, Either scarified seeds or well-rooted container plants may be used to re-vegetate cleared sites, In the urban landscape, several horticultural techniques should be used to ensure healthy plants, All manzanitas should be planted higher than the surrounding soil to prevent crown rot, which can result from excessive water and soil moisture, especially during the summer, Overhead watering should also be avoided, because it tends to encourage fungal diseases (e,g,, Botryosphaeria) that cause branch die-back and leaf spot, Periodic watering every 4-6 weeks will keep foliage healthy without weakening plants, Mulching is desirable to control weeds, retain soil moisture, and reduce the need for irrigation, Rock mulches have proven more successful than organic mulches, Pruning should be avoided and used only to remove dead wood and diseased branches, Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) This species is available from native plant nurseries within its area of distribution, Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth ssp. nevadensis (A. Gray) J.B. Roof., Look in the phone book under ”United States Government”, The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture,”

References

Axelrod, D. 1958. The Pliocene Verdi flora of western Nevada. University of California Publications, Geological Science 34: 61-160. Barbour, M. N. Berg, T. Kittel, & M. Kunz 1991. Snowpack and the distribution of a major vegetation ecotone in the Sierra Nevada of California. Journal of Biogeography 18:141-149. Berg, A. 1974. Arctostaphylos Adans. manzanita. pp. 228-231. IN C. Schopmeyer (ed.). Seeds of woody plants in the United States. USDA, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook, Number 450, Washington, D.C. 883 pp. Carlson, J. & W. Sharp 1975. Germination of high elevation manazanitas. USDA, Forest Service, Tree Planters’ Notes 26:10-11, 25-26. Ferlatte, W. 1974. A flora of the Trinity Alps of northern California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 206 pp. Hanes, T. 1988. California chaparral. pp. 417-469. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp. Holland, K.L. & D.J. Keil 1995. California vegetation. Kendall-Hunt Publishing Company, Iowa. 516 pp. Kruckeberg, A.R. 1982. Gardening with native plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. 252 pp. Mallory, J., W. Colwell, & W. Powell 1973. Soils and vegetation of the French Gulch quadrangle, Trinity and Shasta counties, California. Bulletin 12, USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Berkeley, California. 42 pp. Munz, P. 1959. A California flora. University of California, Berkeley, California. 1681 pp. Rundel, P. 1975. Primary succession on granite outcrops in the montane southern Sierra Nevada. Madrono 23:209-220. Rundel, P., D. Parsons, & D. Gordon 1988. Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. pp. 559-599. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp. Smith, N. 1995. Manzanitas: a gardener’s guide. Pacific Horticulture 56(1):18-33. Sawyer, J. & D. Thornburgh 1988. Montane and subalpine vegetation of the Klamath Mountains. pp. 699-732. IN M. Barbour & J. Major. Terrestrial vegetation of California. California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 9. Sacramento, California. 1030 pp. Vankat, J. 1970. Vegetation change in Sequoia National Park, California. Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Davis, California. 197 pp.

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Morphology/Physiology

Reproduction

Suitability/Use

Arctostaphylos pungens Kunth ssp. nevadensis (A. Gray) J.B. Roof